Activist group places thousands of shoes on Capitol lawn (video)

The 7,000 pairs of shoes placed like tombstones on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol Tuesday morning are intended to represent the number of children who have died because of gun violence since the Sandy Hook massacre in 2012.

The display was organized by the activist group, Avaaz, who is promoting gun control. Avaaz also “recently trolled Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) just after the shooting with a “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri”-style protest demanding that he act on gun control,” The Hill reported.

The shoes are to remain on display from 8:30 am to 2:00 pm Tuesday.

The Hill reported: The group said in a statement that they collected 7,000 pairs of shoes for the memorial to bring “the heartbreak of gun violence to Congress’ doorstep.”

Shoes were donated by celebrities, family members of gun violence victims and American citizens from across the country.

The memorial comes the day before the scheduled national student walkout to protest gun violence following the Parkland, Fla. high school shooting last month that killed 17 people.

Students will also take to the streets of Washington, D.C., during the March For Our Lives on March 24 which is being championed by survivors of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla.

7,000 pairs of shoes outside the Capitol today represent the children killed with guns since Sandy Hook. Hear more on @wamu885 this afternoon during All Things Considered. pic.twitter.com/kxiM5GXzw9

7000 shoes outside the U.S. Capitol rn to represent the children who lost their lives due to guns since Sandy Hook. Tom Mauser brought a pair of his son Daniel’s shoes to help w/ this installation. Daniel was 15 when he was shot and killed at Columbine. #NotOneMore@Avaaz@MoveOnpic.twitter.com/ibUXjzyQU2